Sheffield's 1st Democratic Learning Community

Noughtcross Haus Learning Community

A communal place to be and learn

Noughtcross Haus CIC is dedicated to creating a communal place to be and learn for young people in Sheffield. We want to show our city what education can look like. On the 3rd of September 2024 we will launch Sheffield's 1st self-directed, democratic learning community for home educated children aged 5-11 in Sheffield.

This will be a part-time setting supplementing the learning for electively home educated children, by allowing them to be and learn in community with others two days a week during term times. 

10 children and their families have pledged their support. But we need a little more support. Help us fund our first year!

Making alternative education financially accessible

While alternatives in education have been around for decades in the UK and the world, they generally have failed at being financially accessible. Noughtcross Haus CIC has made it its mission to offer alternative education with low and eventually no financial barriers.
Our overall budget for our first community year is £30,000. This will cover the minimum for salaries, materials, insurances and utilities.
Our aim with this crowd funder is to raise 16,560 GBP to back the support our families have pledged.

Self-directed, democratic learning - a growing movement

Our learning community will follow the long standing tradition of democratically organised educational settings such as Summerhill in Suffolk, England and Sudbury Valley in Massachutes, US where students remain responsible for their own education. Thus our key principles are self-directed learning, democracy and community. At Noughtcross Haus we believe that meaningful learning can only happen when the learner is happy and interested. We endeavour to provide a space that allows each learner in the community to feel safe and supported in their physical and emotional well being, as well as in the pursuit of their interests. To ensure that this space operates fairly and with a strong sense of community, all aspects are managed democratically by all members. 

"Self-directed learning is not about simply letting your children do whatever they want. It's about supporting them in finding their own path, understanding their own interests, and developing the skills they need to pursue those interests." Dr Naomi Fisher 

Our principles in a nut-shell

Self-directed 
We take a child-centred approach to education, which focuses on autonomy and self-directed learning. It allows young humans to set their own pace, follow their personal interests and passions and steward their own educational path.

Democratic
We believe that to raise functional citizens in a democracy we have to live and not just teach values of law, liberty, duty and respect. Our community is encouraged to actively engage with the system that governs it to allow a continuous fair distribution and equal access to all educational resources.

Community
We know that an indivual’s environment is a key element to their learning journey and well-being. Therefore we create, care for and interact with the spaces that we occupy – the physical ones and the social ones – with intention and consideration.

The people behind Noughtcross Haus

Sarah, pictured on the left, is a tri-lingual educator with roots in both Germany and France. She has now lived longer in the UK than either of her home countries. In 2021, her family made the move from London to Sheffield, seeking a more balanced life, close to the Peak District.

Sarah originally trained as a Theatre Designer, and successfully worked in the Film and Theatre industry for 10 years. Her journey took a new direction after becoming a mother, and inspired her to retrain as a Montessori educator, and she later added qualifications as a Forest School Leader. Continuously curious about global educational approaches, she also works as a childminder and was recognized as outstanding by Ofsted in June 2024. 

When her son began school, Sarah realized that traditional education wasn't the path she envisioned for her children. This sparked the idea for Noughtcross Haus, a place where children can take an active role in their education. Here, learning is guided by their individual interests, strengths, and natural curiosity—free from comparison and with a strong emphasis on outdoor activity and connection to nature.

Nadine, pictured on the right, has also German roots but with her strong love for tea, words and walks it seemed inevitable that she settled close to the green hills of England’s Peaks. 

Nadine holds a degree in sport science with a focus on media, she has worked in PR in Germany for many years before moving to the UK and switching to play worker, then TA and later HLTA in a primary school here in Sheffield. After the birth of her first daughter she became a full-time home maker and education facilitator. 

Being a bilingual family was the igniting spark to her growing passion for an education that looks different from the current mainstream, but is not the only element that keeps the fire burning. She is a profoundly optimistic yet questioning individual, that has come to understand that communication and curiosity are the foundation of all of us and therefore the bearing pillars of a wholesome education. She is excited to build Noughtcross Haus on these pillars as a platform for a thriving community of learners in Sheffield.